by Lucy Gage
“Why did you stay with him?”
“I don't know. I asked myself that the whole flight out here. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't keep pretending I wanted to marry him someday. And if I didn't want that, then there was no reason for us to stay together. I should have ended it a long time ago. You can't marry someone just because your family loves them. They don't have to make a life with the person, you do. Anyway, enough about Josh. He's not here and I'm not with him anymore.”
Rob kissed her neck. He whispered, “I'm glad you're here and that you're with me and not him. Thanks for coming here tonight.”
Emily turned to him and kissed him sweetly, trying to keep it chaste because they were in his parents' house. But neither of them could stop themselves from deepening the kiss. And before she knew it, they were on the couch making out like they were teenagers. The sound of Rick clearing his throat was what stopped them.
“Don't let Mom catch you,” he teased.
They sat up and Rick laughed. “Rob, your house isn't that far away. Why don't you just go home for a couple hours, and then you don't have to worry about how naked you get.”
Rob looked at Emily, his expression asking if that sounded good to her. She knew hers said yes. Rob stood and pulled Em off the couch.
“Let's go tell Mom and Dad we'll meet everyone at the church. Thanks for the suggestion, Rick. For that, I'll forgive you for stealing Kelly.” He dodged Rick's fake punch and Rick kissed Emily's cheek as she walked by him.
Once they said their goodbyes, they donned jackets and headed back to Rob's house. The snow had accumulated some but the Subaru navigated it easily.
When they arrived at the house, Rob took out his phone and used an app to open the garage and turn on the lights. Emily marveled at the technology. She was happy just to have a keyless entry for her car once she upgraded to her new Honda Civic from her crappy old Dodge Neon after grad school. She remarked that it was ironic he had the latest techno gadgets for his house, but his car was a beat up, college kid's throwback with manual windows.
He teased that she would change her mind once she saw the car he drove in L.A. Here, he didn't need to look good on the road, just needed to get from A to B. In L.A., it was another story. He had to look the part of the rich, successful, young movie star by driving a Porsche.
“You don't seriously own a Porsche,” she exclaimed as they walked into the house.
“Yeah. It's a Spyder, exactly like the one James Dean used to drive.” He sat on the bench by the door and pulled off his boots.
She pushed his chest. “Lie. You really drive a Prius.”
He looked at her and laughed. “Okay, you got me. I have a hybrid. But it's not a Prius, it's a Lexus. Amy would probably kill me if I drove a Prius.” He shrugged out of his parka and hung it by the door.
“Too granola?” He shook his head. “Not sexy enough?”
“Bingo. Now that there are more options, I'm sure she'll want me to find a sexier alt fuel vehicle. I hate car shopping.”
He sat her on his lap and pulled off her boots for her. Then he peeled off her jacket and hung it next to his own. He patted her bottom to get her to stand and then he took her hand to lead her to the great room, where he had shown her the lake the other day. A Christmas tree now featured prominently in the room. They sat on the couch.
“Not into cars?” Em asked as she turned to face Rob and straddled his hips.
He adjusted her so that she fit onto his lap more comfortably and left his hands on her butt. “No, I like cars fine. It's the ass kissing I hate. You think car sales people are bad enough to everyone else, try being someone they want to impress. It's disgusting. It probably works for some people, but how much someone kisses my ass has no impact on whether or not I want to buy a car. If the car can't sell itself, why am I buying it?”
“Good point. Now, are we here to talk about cars, or are we here to do something else?” She kissed him quickly.
“Oh, definitely something else.” He used one hand to pull her into his erection and the other to bring her mouth closer to his own. “Can I take out your braid?” he asked before he kissed her. She nodded and he loosened her hair as he kissed her neck. When it was free, he pulled back to look at her. “Let's go upstairs.” She got off his lap and he took her hand as he led her up to the bedroom.
When they got to the room, he began pulling off their bulky clothes. Soon, they were both naked and he walked her backwards, toward the bed, as he kissed her and caressed her back. Her legs hit the bed and she turned to crawl across the mattress with a purposeful sway of her hips.
Rob mumbled, “Mmmm, nice.”
She flopped onto her back and said, “What?” feigning innocence.
He stared at her in the dim light. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed.
“Everyone looks good in low lighting.”
Rob lay between her thighs, his face hovered inches from Emily's. “It's not the lighting, it's you. You're amazing. Inside and out. Not every attractive woman is beautiful. I can't believe you're mine.” He glanced at her mouth, then looked into her eyes and smiled.
“Ditto,” she said. She cupped his face in her hands, pulled his mouth to her own and devoured his lips. “God, I love kissing you. I wanted to kiss you almost as soon as you started talking to me in that bar. I couldn't stop looking at your lips.”
“Oh, good, because I wanted to kiss you then, too. I love your lips. They're soft and full.” He kissed her again, taking his time to fully enjoy her mouth and she his. He lay back on the bed and pulled her on top of him. “I should thank Rick again. This is so much better than being on my parents' couch.”
Emily laughed. “You always do that. You always make me laugh.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No! It's not. It's a good thing. I just always thought that laughing during sex was a big faux pas. But it never feels like that with you. I love that you make me laugh.”
“Good. Because I love that you make me laugh, too. And I love that you make me smile. I've laughed and smiled more this week than I have in years.”
“Me too. Do you want to make my smile bigger?” she asked as she straddled him.
He grinned. “Same drawer as the hotel. I don't like to have to think about it too much.”
Emily went to the drawer and saw that there were two huge boxes of condoms in it. “Getting ambitious, are we?” she laughed.
“Just being a good Eagle Scout,” he said. “Come here. I want to try something.” Emily was a little nervous at that. Rob stood and she put the condom on him. It got sexier every time she did it, which made no sense. It had never been sexy when she did it for Josh.
Rob backed her to the wall. “Put your arms around my neck.” She did as he said and he kissed her hard as he pressed her to the wall. It took her breath away and made her instantly more wet than she had been.
He reached down, ran his fingers over her folds and when he felt the wetness, he groaned, “Good, it worked.” Then he lifted her off the floor and wrapped her legs around his waist as he breached her sex. Rob eased her down onto him slowly, his lips caressed the sweet spot below her ear and he pressed her into the wall. Em clung to his neck.
As he got to the end, he released her just a little, and gravity took over. She gasped. It made him press into her, and he slowly lifted her hips, up and down. “Tell me if I'm hurting you.”
“No. No, it feels good. It feels so good. Oh, Rob, how do you know just what to do to me?”
“I don't know, but I'm glad you like it.” He kissed her again, and after a few minutes, he asked, “Can you come with me?” His breathing was heavy. He was close.
“Yes. Yes. Take me there.” And he did. He took her there and she felt it wash over her as he pulsed inside. He kept her in place until they both came down from the bliss enough for her to stand. He held the condom to keep it from pulling off as she slid down his body. He kissed her and then sighed as he watched her walk back to the bed. “Can you s
et an alarm? I need to crash for a little bit.”
He agreed and when it was set, he slid under the covers and curled around her. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard him mutter, “I love you.” Instead of being scary as hell, it made Emily smile as she slipped into oblivion.
Emily woke an hour or so later to the sound of Bad Company's Feel Like Makin' Love. By the way Rob's erection was pressed against her butt and his hand was on her breast, she thought he must be channeling the song. She loved waking up in his arms. He hadn't yet stirred, so she turned around to look at him.
The snow had stopped and in the dim light of the moon creeping through the curtains, she could see his face, so innocent in sleep. She was looking at his kissable lips when, eyes still closed, he quietly said, “You're staring at me.” He grinned.
“Yes, well, your lips are telling me to kiss them,” she replied in the same tone.
“I think you should listen.” And so she did. It was tender at first, but as it almost always was with them, they both deepened the kiss, tongues plunged and danced, the intensity increased the longer their mouths were joined. Rob caressed her side, brought his hand to her breast and teased her nipple for a moment. Then he ran his fingers down to the back of her leg, pulled her thigh across his hip and pressed his erection into her center.
Before they got carried away, she leaned back and said breathlessly, “Does the wanting ever stop?”
He was out of breath, too. “I don't know. I've never wanted anyone this much. Ever. And it's not just your body, though it is amazing. You have perfect breasts and a stellar ass and gorgeous legs. And when I'm inside you, what you do to me is magic.”
“When you're inside me is magic for me, too.”
“Glad we're on the same page there. But it's more than that. I want to kiss you and touch you and make love to you all the time, but I also want to hear you talk and laugh and sing. I want to hold you while I sleep and wake up to your face. It's everything. I want it all. I love you, Emily.”
Em was floored. She thought he felt that way, he had implied as much and she had thought she heard him say it a couple of times. And she knew she was falling for him, too. But she was scared. She couldn't trust it yet. No matter how much she wanted to trust it, she couldn't get there at the moment. Her reaction was abundantly clear on her face.
Rob said, “It's okay, Em. You don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”
“It's just...I'm not ready to say it, Rob. But I can show you. Do we have time?” He nodded. “Then let me show you how I feel about you.”
She got a condom and put it on him, going slow so that she stroked him as she went. He sighed. Then Emily eased herself onto him and made love to him slowly. Her hips rose and fell, rotated and pressed him further inside as she balanced with her hands on his chest and moans escaped her lips. She loved watching his pleasure, knowing that it was her who was doing that to him.
Rob steadied her and then sat up so that she had to sit on his lap. Like he had earlier, he moved her in and out and kissed her passionately as he did so. Emily found that she could move herself if she held on and braced her feet just right, and soon she was meeting him thrust for thrust. It was slow and sensual and she loved that she could kiss him so easily in that position.
He picked up the pace and Em knew he must be close, which excited her. “Can you come with me?” he asked, his breathing saying that he was ready. She nodded and he said, “Watch me. Don't close your eyes.”
She did as he instructed and it was intoxicating, knowing the look on his face was a direct result of her. It made Emily's orgasm last longer, to be experiencing the pleasure on another level at the same time as the physical one. How had she ever lived with a bland sex life before?
Rob held Em to his chest for a moment, nuzzled her hair, breathed her scent. He cleared his throat. “We should get going so we're not late. Even though I'd like to just hold you in my arms all night long after this.”
She looked at him and nodded. Before she could get up, he held her in place. “Thank you. For showing me. It's the best Christmas gift I've gotten in longer than I can remember.”
“Someday I'll be able to say the words, Rob. For now, I hope you can feel it when I touch you and when I kiss you. I mean it.”
She kissed him sweetly and got up, knowing that if she kept kissing him, they'd tumble between the sheets again before long. He could do that to her, could make her forget everything but him with a look or a kiss or a touch. His laugh made her happy, his smile warmed her from head to toe. Talking to him was like talking to her best friend, albeit one who made her toes curl.
If this isn't love, then what is it?
But that didn't make voicing it any easier. She still felt a little fragile, it still felt too new.
They got ready to go and drove to the church, which was not far from where they had caroled. Rob said that several of the families they'd seen earlier in the evening would be there. She was a little worried when she saw the crowd, though she didn't see anyone who was obviously a photographer. Em took Rob's hand and smiled as they walked together into the church.
They sat with his family near the back. Liv had saved them a seat so that she could be next to Emily, which made Em's heart happy. She could imagine being this girl's favorite aunt and that terrified her. Because being Liv's aunt meant being Rob's wife. And, holy cow, where did that come from?
The service was beautiful. The priest was young and very enthusiastic. His passion for Jesus and the miracle of His birth was evident in the way his voice broke on occasion. The choir performed ethereal versions of Ave Maria and Hallelujah. Emily automatically linked her fingers with Rob's from the beginning, and he stole occasional glances at her while he rubbed her thumb with his own. They released hands whenever they stood, but immediately reached for one another as soon as they sat back down. He looked so happy to have her there by his side, which made her heart melt.
If only she could tell him how much she already loved him.
When the service was through, they made their way outside with Rob's family, heading to the cars. They all chatted amiably about the service, how moving and inspiring it was. Rob had put his arm around her because the wind had picked up and their car was a little further away than the rest.
All of a sudden, Rick was by their side. He instructed Kelly to take the kids to the car, he'd see her at home. His wife didn't question it. Rick looked at Rob and they walked faster. Whatever Rick had seen, it put him on alert.
When they got to the Subaru, Rick took Emily's arm and gently steered her to the passenger's side as Rob hopped quickly into the driver's seat and started the car. Rick jumped into the seat behind Emily and said, “Go.” They hadn't even put on their seat belts yet.
A couple miles down the road, Emily finally asked, “What happened?”
Rick told her that he'd seen a couple people with iPhones who were obviously not just there for the service. “If you were hoping to keep this quiet, Em, it won't be, now.”
Rob looked at her, concern in his eyes. “It's okay, Rob. I knew that might happen. I warned Charlie that there would be photos which would imply we were a couple, even if we didn't make a statement about it. I just figured those wouldn't happen until the gala. But I'm fine with it happening sooner. Really.” She squeezed his hand and he looked relieved.
They took Rick home and wished Merry Christmas, knowing they would see him in the afternoon. Before he got out of the car, he kissed Emily on the cheek and told her he was glad she came.
They drove back to Rob's in silence for a bit. It wasn't a long trip by air, but the development roads zigged and zagged between the two houses. When they got to the driveway and he was opening the garage, Emily said, “I meant it, Rob. I'm okay with photos of us together being leaked. I don't know how I thought I could possibly hide how I feel from anyone. Every person who saw us together this past week must have been able to see it all over my face. And I'm here for work, so I can't just hide. I
t's my job to be the public face for the magazine right now. Josh already believed that I slept with you that first night. It doesn't matter if he thinks it's too soon for me to be in a relationship with you. His opinion won't change how I feel about you or him.”
He looked at her for a moment. “Does that mean you want to make some sort of official announcement, so that we get there first?”
“I didn't think about it that way, but can we do that?”
“Sure. How subtle do you want to be?”
“I don't know. Obvious but not blatant?”
“What if I post a twitpic of the two of us with the caption, Best Christmas present ever.”
“You can do that? I thought Jenna ran your site?”
“That doesn't mean I can't post. She just manages all of it. If I send it to my Twitter feed, she'll get a notification and will call me to make sure it's really me. Then she can post the picture on Facebook and my fan site. The gossip sites will do the rest.”
“Okay. Might as well get ahead of the competition. Let's do it now.”
“Let's get inside first. I don't mind driving the Scooby, but it doesn't photograph well.”
Emily laughed. “Yeah, Amy would have a fit if you posted a picture of this beast.”
When they got inside, they embraced in front of the tree and Rob snapped the photo. He showed it to her and when she approved, he logged on to Twitter and posted it. Then they curled up on the couch and waited. A couple minutes later, Tommy Tutone sang about Jenny and Rob answered immediately.
“Hey, Jen. Merry Christmas. Yeah, it was really me. Yes, that's Emily.” He looked at Em and relayed that Jenna said it was nice to see her. “No, I really do want it posted. Yeah, I'll tell Amy in the morning. Don't worry about talking to Barry, she'll let him know. Yeah, can you post it to the website and to Facebook, too? Yep, same caption. It's as official as we're going to get, for now. Yes, she thought it was a good idea. Yeah. Don't worry, you'll get something extra in your end-of-year bonus for working on Christmas. I know. I'm serious, but I'm just teasing you. Okay, Merry Christmas. Thanks, Jen.”